Ask Experts Questions for FREE Help !
Ask
    WriterQuestions's Avatar
    WriterQuestions Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #1

    Aug 4, 2019, 12:46 PM
    World building for sci-fi fairytale
    Hello Everyone.

    I'm writing a sci-fi story that has a solar system with three planets. The first is just a little to hot, the second is just a little to cold and the third is just right.

    On the "just right" planet, I wondering if the other two planets can be seen at night from the ground? I envision them chasing each other across the heavens each night.

    Would their orbits (one further, one closer to the sun) allow this? I figure the one farther away would have to be bigger and brighter (light a gas giant) to see both at once.

    Any thoughts you might have would be appreciated. I'm not fussy about the size of the planets or type of star. If the physics can match the poetry I'll be happy.

    Thanks in advance for all your help.

    PGR
    ebaines's Avatar
    ebaines Posts: 12,131, Reputation: 1307
    Expert
     
    #2

    Aug 5, 2019, 05:41 PM
    This is analogous to seeing the planets Venus and Mercury from Earth at the same time, which is not uncommon. But they don't exactly "chase each other" around the sky. Because Venus's orbit is closer to the sun then Earth's, from our vantage point Venus never gets very far away from the sun - only about 30 degrees. That's why Venus always appears to us as either a morning "star" or evening "star" - close to the horizon either shortly before dawn or shortly after sunset. Mars on the other hand can appear high in the sky at any time. It's brightest when at opposition from the sun, meaning when it is at its highest in the sky around midnight. There are times of the year when its apparent position may be close to Venus, and during those times you might say that the two planets appear to "chase" each other, but for the majority of time they are not terribly close to each other. Hope this helps.
    talaniman's Avatar
    talaniman Posts: 54,327, Reputation: 10855
    Expert
     
    #3

    Aug 6, 2019, 11:35 AM
    Planets do appear more like stars than planets, because they are so far away and orbit the sun as our earth does, but moons are very different, because they are closer, and orbit the planet as the planet orbits the sun. Imagine how our moon looks, and then how the sky would look if we had more than just the one.

    Ancient man discovered our fellow planets by noticing stars that changed position while others were fixed in the sky to the naked eye before telescopes. They made up all kinds of stories and myths about the sky as they named them and gave them human qualities. We use data collected now to understand better what we have been observing since man could see.

    That doesn't stop the imagination from growing around such spectacular scenic wonder.

Not your question? Ask your question View similar questions

 

Question Tools Search this Question
Search this Question:

Advanced Search

Add your answer here.


Check out some similar questions!

What building has the most hauntings in the world? [ 3 Answers ]

I'm just wondering

Old fairytale movie about a boy and girl creature in a fairytale place [ 2 Answers ]

Ok this may be a tough one. I'm searching for an old movie which I'm guessing is a children's fairytale. I remember watching it when I was very young, so in the 90's. It could be 80's to, unsure. It involves two young brown creatures. The girl creature has wings but the boy does not. They are on...

Tallest building in the world? [ 1 Answers ]

Just a quick question.

Fairytale Book [ 1 Answers ]

I'm hoping someone can help me. I've been searching for a particular Fairytale book, I believe from the 80's. As a child I owned two, that were both by the same publishing company. Both big in size, one had a blue cover, can't remember what was on it and the other had a pink cover, with Gulliver's...

Fairytale Theme [ 5 Answers ]

Im getting married in early October and I'm doing a fairytale wedding theme I would like to get some ideals maybe even some pics of what I could do to make this reception out of this world. My colors are pastals and the wedding ceremony its self is being held outside @ sunset on the beach. Thanks


View more questions Search